Use the post-installation checklist to complete the PCA installation process.
Validate PCA Install
After you complete the installation of Acoustic™ Tealeaf, you can validate the installation.
The following command reads a list of files with the expected user, group, and permission settings and compares the list to what was installed. If the matching fails, an error message is printed with the actual and expected values.
tealeaf ps
If the validation is successful, output similar to the following is displayed:
[root@venus ~]# tealeaf ps
PID TTY TIME CMD
29939 ? 00:00:00 captured
29940 ? 00:00:00 listend
29941 ? 00:00:00 reassd
29942 ? 00:00:00 tcld
29943 ? 00:00:00 deliverd
29945 ? 00:00:00 pipelined
29964 ? 00:00:00 httpd
29969 ? 00:00:00 httpd
29970 ? 00:00:00 httpd
29971 ? 00:00:00 httpd
29972 ? 00:00:00 httpd
29973 ? 00:00:00 httpd
Generate SSL keys
For secure transport, you can apply a signed or self-signed certificate for PCA use.
Start PCA
After the PCA rpm installation is completed, the first start of the PCA must be completed as root user. Using this user allows the PCA to set several system kernel variables by using the sysctl cmd, which is available as root only.
ctccap user is created without a password that is assigned to it, so you cannot log in with that account by default. Security risks are minimal; the ctccap user can start and own the Acoustic Tealeaf processes. Depending on your enterprise security requirements, you can assign a password to the ctccap user from the root user.The sysctl cmd is run in the main tealeaf script. After you log in as the root user, the following command starts the PCA: tealeaf start
After the PCA is started for the first time, you can then run the script as a non-root user ctccap each successive time. To run as ctccap user:
- Stop the PCA with this command:
tealeaf stop - Change to the ctccap user with this command:
su ctccap - Start the PCA as the ctccap user with this command:
tealeaf start
After you start the PCA as root, you can also restart the PCA machine to run as ctccap user.
Initial PCA Configuration
Depending on your Tealeaf solution's deployment, more configuration might be required. If you have any questions about configuration, contact Support.
After you complete installation of the PCA software, you can follow the steps to configure the PCA to capture web application traffic and forward to one or more the Processing Servers.
Check permitted connections settings
At installation time, the PCA sets the maximum permitted connections for each PCA instance.
By default, these values are set as:
- Current connections max:
5000 - SYN/WAIT connections max:
1000
You can check the current state of these settings in the Statistics tab of the PCA Web Console. For each PCA instance, the statistics to compare are:
| Current | Maximum |
|---|---|
Current connections |
Current connections max |
SYN/WAIT connections |
SYN/WAIT connections max |
If either of the current metrics is near the corresponding maximum, you must consider raising the maximum for all affected PCA instances. It ensures that data is effectively captured.
Configure PCA for Capture of Rich Internet Applications
If your deployed rich internet application (RIA) is submitting data for capture, you must verify that the PCA is configured to capture all submitted data types.
Capturing JavaScripts
By default, the PCA excludes the capture of JavaScript™ files. Capture of static JavaScript by the PCA is rarely required for accurate replay of rich internet applications. In most situations, these files can be stored in a static database or re-referenced through replay rules.
Capturing XML
By default, the PCA captures the following content types without any additional configuration.
application/xmltext/xml
Contents of these types submitted to the web server are inserted into the request buffer in the [xml1] section for processing by the Tealeaf system.
Typical RIA capture types
The following capture types must be added to PCA capture types, depending on the monitored application. These types can be specified in the XML post types list.
application/jsonapplication/x-jsontext/jsontext/x-json
In the following sections, you can review example sets of types for various kinds of rich internet applications.
Example RIA: Ajax
Default captured types:
application/xmltext/xmlapplication/jsontext/json
The following custom types can be present and must be configured:
ajax/xml- Dynamically generated JavaScripts
To configure
If you are submitting other XML post types that Tealeaf must capture, you must add the XML post type to the whitelist in the Pipeline tab of the PCA Web Console.
Passive capture software service
Once the Acoustic Tealeaf passive capture software package is installed, you can use the service command to restart, start, and stop the passive capture software.
The following commands can be used to restart, start, and stop the passive capture software.
tealeaf restart
tealeaf start
tealeaf stop
If some components of Passive Capture do not stop in a timely manner, the tealeaf
restart command cannot successfully start them after you attempt to stop them. Instead, use the tealeaf stop command to confirm Passive Capture software was terminated.
Use the following command to determine whether any Tealeaf processes are still running: ps Uctccap
CX PCA Patches
Patches are released to improve performance and reliability of the CX PCA software.
After your CX PCA server is installed and configured, you can apply any patches that might be available for your version of the CX PCA software.
You can download patches from our downloads page. You’ll need an Acoustic ID to access files.
Tip
Encountering a “Forbidden” message when trying to download files means your account is not authorized. In order to receive relevant permissions, contact our support team. You can reach them via email at Help.AcousticID@acoustic.com or at the following phone numbers:
United States: +1 866-820-5136
United Kingdom +44 808 169 2385
Make sure that you download the correct patch for your operating system.